O2
by M. Marchand
Summary: Don's former high school sweetheart is the sole witness to the kidnapping of a high ranking government official.
1. Prologue

Acknowledgments:  
Omi as always  
Mel for agreeing to be a beta and becoming so much more  
Ecri for sharing her amazing talents with me as a beta reader  
All the BTN Open Beta participants who helped me out so unselfishly 

Disclaimers:  
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
I do not own the characters Don, Charlie or Kim nor do I have any  
rights to anything related to the TV show Numb3rs. I plead fair use  
and claim only my own writing and characters.  
Book excerpts are from "Pages from a Journal with Other Papers"  
by Mark Rutherford aka William Hale White and are public domain.

* * *

Prologue:

"Eppes!"

Don answered his cell phone a little reluctantly. It was almost time to go home and after the week he'd had, he was looking forward to some peace and quiet.

He wasn't going to get it.

"If you're anywhere near a TV turn on Channel 4, now!" The woman on the other end of the line barked out the sentence as if it was an order.

"Who is this?" Don demanded, while he rushed over to the workroom television. Instinctively, he popped a fresh tape into the VCR and hit the record button even before the screen fully warmed up.

The female caller made an exasperated sound. "Don, have you asked so many women to marry you that you can't keep track of their voices?"

"Kim?" Don exclaimed in disbelief. "Why are you..."

Before he could finish his question, he saw what was playing on the TV and knew why she had called.

Not bothering to cover the phone, Don simply pulled it away and yelled for his partner.

"Terry! Call a code black! Repeat, we are code black!"


	2. Chapter 1

O2 2/18

* * *

Chapter One:

The subsequent hours were a blur of vehicles, sirens, crime scene tape, and hundreds of law enforcement personnel including Secret Service, FBI and LAPD.

The footage Don had seen, that they all had seen multiple times now, showed the Deputy Attorney General being abducted at gunpoint by a small team of well armed men while he was leaving a public appearance in downtown Los Angeles.

The Secret Service agents guarding the DAG had all been killed by the well organized criminal assault team. Three civilians who happened to be leaving the event at the same time were also shot and killed. Another civilian, a woman, had been shot in the head yet somehow survived. No one was holding out much hope that she would be able to provide any additional information beyond what the videotape had captured.

Regardless, when Kim was informed that the woman was out of surgery she assigned Don to see if the witness could be roused enough for a brief statement. There were so few leads they were willing to try anything to get something fresh to go on.

Don felt annoyed at being sent away from the action to wait for a statement from a witness who likely would not regain consciousness for at least several days if at all, but realized that with the Secret Service running the code black the FBI was only playing a supporting role. Still, it was the Department of Justice's second in command who was missing, someone that every Bureau employee cared about getting back safely and quickly.

Don referred to his notebook upon arrival at the hospital. The name of the injured witness was Olivia Brecht. In the back of his head, Don wondered if she pronounced it Ah-livee-ah or O-livee-ah. He smiled at that thought, sprung out of the recesses of his memory, and then shook it off to concentrate on the case again. He flashed his badge at the admissions desk and inquired about the woman he was there to question.

Don took the elevator to the appropriate floor and located the room he had been directed to. He'd asked admissions to page the woman's doctor in the hopes that he'd be able to tell him how likely it was that the woman would regain consciousness. Having an agent stand around waiting for a person with a brain injury to wake was a poor allocation of resources, especially when there was so much he could be doing to help the investigation. With a frustrated sigh, he opened the door, fully expecting a waste of time.

Time is exactly what hit him.

The second Don laid eyes on the woman in the bed he was seventeen years old again.

"O." The sound barely escaped his lips, more breath than noise.

Olivia Brecht was his Olivia Gonzales.


	3. Chapter 2

O2 3/18

* * *

Chapter Two:

Olivia's doctor had arrived just after Don walked through the door and he briefed the distracted agent on her condition. Don simply tape recorded the conversation knowing his mind couldn't process any of what the doctor was saying past the first statement he'd made, that they didn't know when, or if, she would awaken.

Somehow, Don couldn't connect the litany of medical verbiage with Olivia. His Olivia...

Twenty years had passed since they were together in high school yet she still had the same radiant beauty he had fallen for so easily as a young man.

The doctor finally left and Don eventually remembered to turn the tape recorder off.

In a daze, he sat in the chair beside her bed, watching her breathe.

She still had the same flowing long black hair only now it fell just below her shoulders instead of cascading down to her waist. Her caramel skin was smooth and unlined as if the ravages of age that were beginning to show on Don had skipped over her. She looked so peaceful and content in her slumber that Don almost forgot what she had just been through.

He snapped himself back to reality with that thought. His Olivia... The girl who would have been valedictorian if not for Charlie skipping up to their grade... The girl who broke his heart when she accepted a scholarship to study at Oxford after graduation... That Olivia was gone. The woman before him was so badly injured she might never regain consciousness. That beautiful mind and that beautiful face... They could be gone forever... Don was suddenly overwhelmed with grief for what he had now lost twice.

Don became so lost in his memories he was startled when an agent showed up to relieve him. As much as Don now welcomed his assignment, he still had to sleep and eat. Kim had assigned agents in rotating shifts in case Olivia awoke at odd hours of the night. After briefing the agent on what the doctor had told him about her status, he left with only one last glance at Olivia.

Somehow, the reality of leaving her after having found her again made him notice something he'd completely missed the whole time he'd been sitting with her.

A wedding band on her left hand.

Don walked out to his car, lost in thought. Of course, she'd be married, he thought to himself, why not? She's in her late 30s; most people are married by that age. Don was the odd man out not having gotten married yet by 37. But then, he'd not been able to marry the woman he'd proposed to. Olivia's not a teenager any more, he reminded himself. Heck, she's old enough to have teenage kids. Kids...

Don put in a call to the office inquiring about next of kin for Olivia.


	4. Chapter 3

O2 4/18

* * *

Chapter Three:

Without fully realizing how it happened, his car ended up in front of his father's house instead of his own apartment. Don tried, but still couldn't think of it as Charlie's house no matter whose name was on the deed.

He walked in to find Charlie sitting on the living room rug and the coffee table littered with papers covered in calculations. A normal day in the Eppes household, thought Don.

"Hey," Don said in greeting and walked into the kitchen for a beer.

After a moment of scribbling, Charlie glanced up at his brother, looking self-satisfied. "Hey yourself! I just finished the improvements to the polynomial interpolation equations I developed for the video enhancement software. Amita and I should have the final version delivered in just a few days once we finish testing."

"That's great, Charlie." Don's voice was less than enthusiastic. Charlie looked a bit crestfallen at his brother's lackluster response so Don immediately added, "It is great, really! I just have other things on my mind today."

Charlie's expression turned to one of sympathy. "I'm sure the whole Department of Justice does, Don. It must be maddening for the FBI to not be able to locate their number two guy."

Don nodded, a discouraged look on his face.

"The people who took him were absolute pros with huge amounts of backup and a flawless plan. They managed to disappear in broad daylight in downtown L.A. and evade capture by hundreds of law enforcement agents."

"No ransom demands yet?" Charlie asked.

"Not that I've heard of. We're not sure what they want him for but you've got to figure that the guy knows the same stuff the Attorney General does just in case the AG is unable to fulfill his duties for any reason. So, if they're after information the DAG is an easier target than the AG is since he has a smaller security detail assigned to him. Nevertheless, he just doesn't have the authority that the AG does which mystifies us. If you want to make the guy do something you don't let people know you've got him, you know? You nab his wife and kids to blackmail him into doing what you want but you don't grab him in broad daylight on live TV."

"Maybe they're just terrorists trying to make a statement," Charlie wondered aloud.

"Trust me, that's up there on our top ten list. The rest of the FBI is hitting all of the terror cells we know of trying to shake out a lead."

"The rest of the FBI?" Charlie thought that sounded odd coming from Don who was usually in the thick of things, leading the charge with his team. "What are you doing then?"

"Babysitting a witness. The woman who got shot in the head at the scene is at Cedars Sinai and we've got agents with her 24 hours a day in case she wakes up and can give us a lead, any lead."

Charlie cocked his head to one side. Something still seemed off to him. "Don, normally this would be the equivalent of bench warming for you and I know how much you hate that. Why are you stuck sitting in a room and, more importantly, why aren't you angry about it?"

Don sighed. He wasn't sure how much to tell Charlie but thought perhaps he'd feel better about it if he got things out in the open. Besides, Charlie was likely to find out anyways.

"The witness's name is Olivia Brecht," Don said.

"Brecht as in Brecht Component Labs?" Charlie asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Don had gotten that much out of his brief call to the office.

"I know Brian Brecht of BCL. We ran into each other a few times when I was getting my doctorate. His research and development of DSPs revolutionized the consumer electronics industry. You know, the goal of DSPs is to perform as many arithmetic operations as possible in the smallest number of cycles and Brian's approach to the signal processing algorithms..."

Don cut him off with the wave of a hand. "Charlie, you mean you knew Brian Brecht. He died three years ago."

Charlie stopped mid-sentence and his expression shifted. He fell silent for a moment.

Don felt bad for being so abrupt with him. "Look Charlie, that was rude of me and I apologize. I shouldn't have just blurted it out like that."

"No, it's okay," Charlie said, still a bit saddened by the news. "If Brian and I had been friends, I'd have known already. We were just fellow math geeks who were interested in working on some of the same problems. He had a thing for P vs. NP too." Charlie stared down at his equations for another moment without really seeing them.

Don wasn't sure if this was the right time to hit him with the next piece of bad news.

"Charlie, his wife Olivia? You know her too."

Charlie looked up at him, confused. "I didn't even know he was married."

"Charlie, he married Olivia Gonzales. My Olivia..."

"O." Charlie unknowingly echoed Don.

"Yeah," Don nodded.


	5. Chapter 4

O2 5/18

* * *

Chapter Four:

Charlie had insisted on going with Don to the hospital the next day when he reported for his shift in the morning. Seeing Olivia again had much the same effect on Charlie as it had on Don, only for different reasons.

Olivia had been one of the few friends the brothers had shared in high school and the only one of Don's girlfriends to pay any real attention to Charlie. Being the most advanced students in the school, she and Charlie had almost all their classes in common so she'd come to the house to do homework with Charlie rather than Don, much to Don's annoyance.

Charlie had had a hopeless crush on the much older girl for over a year before Don finally asked her out. Charlie was secretly glad when they started dating, mostly because it meant he'd get to be close to her even if he'd never have a chance to date her himself. Their age difference was too pronounced.

Charlie could never tell Don the real reason he liked Olivia so much. She was brilliant like him, but he had a soft spot for her as the girl who gave him his first kiss. She'd been a junior then and Don was dating some blond cheerleader. Olivia and Charlie had become friends in AP Chemistry and often met in a quiet corner of the library to study together. But that one day... That day was something he'd never tell his brother about.

Now suddenly she was there in front of him, looking as lovely as the last time he'd seen her.

"She looks... exactly the same," Charlie murmured, unable to take his eyes off her.

"Yeah," Don agreed.

Before Don could claim it, Charlie slipped into the chair beside Olivia's bed. He took her hand, causing an irrational pang of jealousy to rise up inside Don. Twenty years later his brother still had a connection to Olivia that he couldn't touch.

Don settled himself into a second chair near the door. "Let me know if you see any signs that she's coming around, okay?"

"Sure," Charlie answered, his voice still a bit far away while he replayed a certain memory in his head.


	6. Chapter 5

O2 6/18

* * *

Chapter Five:

After a few hours, Don sent Charlie for food and they shared some of their favorite Olivia stories. She had hated people pronouncing her name wrong but inevitably, Don had won her over not just by pronouncing it with an O sound instead of Ah from the beginning, but by nicknaming her O just to make the point stronger. She hated the nickname Libby so O was just the thing for her. Charlie ended up starting to call her O as well since that's all Don ever called her. Eventually the nickname spread to her friends but deep down Don always considered it his private pet name for her.

Neither man had kept in touch with her after she left for England. Charlie was immersed in his own academic pursuits and Don was simply hurt that he'd lost his girlfriend to the U.K. A hundred miles away would have been worth driving for a long distance relationship. Across an ocean was another story.

After lunch, Charlie left to teach his afternoon class and Don felt strangely relieved to have Olivia to himself again. Some part of him was envious of the side of Olivia that only Charlie could understand. The side of her that drove her to study in England rather than just down the road at Cal Sci. The straight A student who spouted physics terms like other teens talked about boy bands and movie stars.

Olivia had never made Don feel stupid though. She had somehow figured out that Don's strengths were elsewhere and she always made him feel smart and talented even next to Charlie. One of the things he loved most about Olivia was how he felt when he was around her.

Don sat in the chair Charlie had vacated and took the hand of his former love.

"Hey, O. It's me, Don Eppes." She didn't stir but Don believed she could hear him regardless.

"It's been twenty years. Man, you look fantastic. You should see me... I'm..." Don suddenly had trouble continuing.

"O, I'm sorry I never talked to you after you left. I guess my ego was too bruised to stay friends with you and I regret that, now especially. You obviously found a good man and married him. I'm just sorry to hear that he widowed you so young. That must have been really hard for you. I wish I'd known. I moved back to L.A. not long after Brian died. Perhaps..." Don shook his head. "No, I was engaged to someone myself. Someone I met working at the FBI. Someone I loved but... Sometimes things just don't work out the way you plan them, you know? I was so sure you and I were solid, then you tell me you're moving to England of all places. I tell Kim, she was my fiancée, that I have to move back to L.A. because of my family and she... I guess I thought she would move to L.A. with me, you know? I mean if you say yes to marry someone doesn't that mean you want to be with them no matter what? Not that you'll only be with them if they stay within certain geographical boundaries?" Don paused, trying not to get choked up. "I just wish you could talk to me, O. It would be so good to hear your voice again."

Don gave her hand a tight squeeze and looked away, waiting for the tears that had welled up in his eyes to dissipate.

He finally let her hand go and laid it down on the bed next to his arm. As soon as he did though, he missed the contact and took her hand again.

He opened the magazine he had propped up on her bed and tried to read to distract himself from all the painful memories rising up from the back of his mind.

A motion startled him and he looked up to see Olivia's fingers moving slightly.

"O?" Don whispered, hoping beyond hope she was coming back, more for his sake than the DAG's at this point.

Her eyes never opened and her body, save for one hand, never moved. The hand lifted and dropped slightly a number of times then stopped. It started up again and Don quickly recognized a pattern to it.

Because the movements were so delicate, Don laid Olivia's hand on his arm so he could feel what she was doing in addition to seeing what she was doing. Apparently, she noticed the change and started to alternately grasp his arm and tap on it.

Don recorded the sequence and checked it as she redid it four times more.

Tap with four fingers Holds hand curved like a C and taps once with the whole hand Tap with one finger Tap with one finger Grasp Tap with two fingers Grasp Tap with three fingers Grasp Tap with four fingers

Don figured that grasping must be her way of telling him she meant all five fingers so he wrote the sequence in shorthand: 4 C 1 1 5 2 5 3 5 4

When her hands finally came to a rest and she didn't move again, Don called Charlie.


	7. Chapter 6

O2 7/18

* * *

Chapter Six:

"4-C-1-1-5-2-5-3-5-4?" Charlie repeated back to Don. "Are you absolutely sure that's the sequence?"

"No, but it's not like I can ask her to do it over again for me so that's what we've got to work with." Don had told Charlie the sequence Olivia had tapped out for him but didn't bother going into the nuances of how she tapped it out. He knew Charlie and Charlie only cared about the data, not how you got it.

"Ok, I'll get to work on it and call you when I make some progress. I can already tell you it's not a driver's license or a license plate because the number of digits doesn't match. It's also not a banking numbers since it's got the one letter in it. You're sure it wasn't a zero?" Charlie hated doubting his brother but his work would be so much easier if it was all numbers and no letters.

"That, I'm sure of," Don assured him. "Call me when you have anything at all, even if it's just a hunch, okay buddy? I'm counting on you!"

"I know what this means to you, Don. I'll get right on it."

"Thanks," Don hung up the phone and looked back at Olivia again. "Talk to me, O... Talk to me again." He held her hand and waited, but there was nothing more there for him.


	8. Chapter 7

O2 8/18

* * *

Chapter Seven:

When Don's shift ended he went straight to see Charlie and found the young mathematician in the midst of a full blown P vs. NP style obsession. The living room and dining room both were buried under loose sheets of paper, strewn with open binders and notebooks, littered with heavy text books and nearly unrecognizable with white poster paper covering almost every wall, all covered in Charlie's distinctive handwriting.

"Don, there's nothing here. This sequence... It's meaningless. I've cross-referenced it across the board and it doesn't match anything. Sure, it could be a computer password but then anything could. Why would O give us this clue unless she thought it would be something we could figure out and use?"

Charlie was pacing up and down, trampling papers with each step.

Don knew he had to get his agitated brother to calm down so he stood in his path and held him by the upper arms to still his progress. Charlie twisted out of his brother's grasp and kept moving. Don grabbed his lower arm as he passed, giving it a squeeze to let Charlie know he should pay attention to him. Charlie froze; his thought processes instantly envisioning a possible solution to the problem that had been plaguing them all day.

"Don!" Charlie said, with wonder in his voice. "I think you might have misunderstood the message."

"What makes you say that?"

Charlie pulled his brother down to sit on the couch with him. Charlie offered Don his arm. "Here, pretend I'm you and you're O. Use my arm and show me exactly how she tapped out the message to you."

Don referred back to his notes just to be certain, then performed the same sequence of grasps and taps that Olivia had done to his arm. He only had to do it once and Charlie leapt up and scribbled something on a sheet of paper.

"There's an obscure branch of math that's rather archaic called Fingermath, and one version is called Chisanbop," Charlie explained hurriedly. "While Olivia and I would know about this method of using fingers as a kind of portable abacus the general populace wouldn't. However, Olivia could adapt that method to something any person might understand. I just failed to recognize that she'd adapted it because you never told me exactly how she communicated it to you."

"Charlie, what are you getting at?" Don knew this information was crucial and he needed answers.

"She didn't intend to communicate any fives in the sequence, Don. She only had one hand to work with..."

In a flash, Don understood completely. "So she used math to tell me when she had a number over five by grasping first."

"That's right, so a grasp using all five fingers literally meant five plus or more precisely take five and hold it until I give you the number to add to it."

Charlie handed him the slip of paper and Don read it quickly.

4 C 1 1 5 2 5 3 5 4 4 C11 52 53 54 4 C11 789 4 CII 789

"It's a license plate number," Charlie explained. "The probability is over 90 percent that while she tapped out two number ones what she really saw was the letter I twice since standard plates in California are one number, three letters, then three numbers."

"Doesn't matter, we'll run them both." Don already had his cell phone out and was dialing Kim's number.

"I have two possible license plate numbers for you. They're from Olivia Brecht."


	9. Chapter 8

O2 9/18

* * *

Chapter Eight:

As flawless as the kidnapping of the DAG was it was nothing compared to the perfection of the Secret Service and FBI when it came to the recovery operation. The CII license plate had led them to a house in a remote area and the textbook raid turned up a shaken but unhurt DAG and all of the perpetrators shown on the videotape.

Despite Don's insistence that Olivia and Charlie were to be credited with the breakthrough clue, Kim had made sure that both he and Charlie had been recognized for their work on the case. They'd even received a phone call at home that night from the Attorney General himself, thanking them on behalf of the President and the entire DOJ for ensuring the safe return of their friend and colleague.

Don refused to take any of the credit, passing it off to Charlie, who knew Don likely felt guilty at the idea that the DAG had spent more time in the hands of the kidnappers than necessary because of his misunderstanding with the fives in the sequence.

"He's safe now, Don, and none the worse for wear for a couple extra hours," Charlie had assured him. "The rest of this? It doesn't matter."

Don had found comfort in this but failed to tell Charlie what was really bothering him: Olivia.

Now that the DAG was safely home with his family, Olivia no longer had an agent posted to her room. Don went to visit daily but she never showed any signs of moving or waking.

Charlie visited Olivia as well. He liked to read to her and Don found it soothing to listen to his brother read aloud. He had never realized how pleasant Charlie's voice could be and he found himself relaxed to the point of falling asleep on more than one occasion.

Finally, a week and a half after the kidnapping, she started to open her eyes.

"Don! Come quick!" Charlie was breathless, not quite believing what he was seeing.

Don and Charlie stood over her bedside so she could easily see them.

"O!" Don said gently. "Welcome back! How's this for a surprise? No, you're not hallucinating, it's really the Brothers Eppes."

Olivia seemed confused at first and looked back and forth at each of them several times. Finally, she smiled when she realized who they were.

Her smile melted two men's hearts.

After a second or two though, her expression started to show signs of pain.

"Don?" Charlie looked to his brother, not sure what to do for her.

"Go find a nurse, let them know she's awake and needs pain meds right away."

Charlie nodded quickly and ran down the hall to the nurse's station for help.

Don tried to get Olivia's attention before she lost consciousness again. "O, listen to me. You're in the hospital. You're going to be fine. You were shot in the head during the kidnapping of the Deputy Attorney General. I used the sequence you tapped out for me a few days ago to locate a car with that license plate, which lead us to the DAG. He's fine, you helped save him, and a lot of people are going to want to thank you when you get out of here."

She seemed to understand all this and made a motion with her hand as if to write. Don pulled out his notebook and pen and placed them carefully into her hand. Her printing was painfully slow so when she got through just the letters A and L Don went ahead and answered her. "Yes, we got all of the kidnappers. We were able to ID them from a videotape of the abduction by using a video enhancement algorithm that Charlie created for us."

Olivia had kept writing even though Don had explained. She finished her second L and added a 1 and a 2.

A little chill went through Don and his instincts told him not to ignore it.

"There were eleven kidnappers on the tape and we got all eleven of them."

Olivia merely tapped her pen over the number twelve repeatedly.

Don snapped open his phone and dialed his former fiancée as quickly as he could.

"Kim? It's not over. Olivia's saying there was a twelfth man on the team."


	10. Chapter 9

O2 10/18

* * *

Chapter Nine:

Don ran his fingers through his hair and paced Olivia's room.

He was tired and frustrated but most of all he was worried about Olivia.

Ever since she'd woken up, the Secret Service had been pumping her for information on the twelfth man involved in the abduction. Their efforts were certainly hampered by the fact that Olivia could only stay awake for several minutes at a time and she only woke a few times a day. Don hadn't even gotten any time to catch up with her. He'd had to be content with simply holding her hand in encouragement as the Secret Service agents did their jobs.

There was another factor holding up the case. Olivia had not begun speaking again. She was able to write simple words, albeit at a snail's pace, but more advanced communication skills had not returned to her yet. Don feared they might never return however he choked down his doubts and tried to be there for her during each session.

Kim and Don had reached an agreement on how to proceed with thankfully little argument. In hopes of drawing out the twelfth man, they carefully crafted a detailed misinformation campaign involving not only Olivia, but also the Eppes family. Don knew it had been no secret for weeks that he and Charlie had been visiting Olivia. Now they needed to make it clear to anyone who was watching Olivia's progress that she was not under FBI guard any longer, even though she actually was. It was arranged for Charlie to give a statement to a local newspaper saying that Olivia Brecht was a family friend to the Eppes and since the loss of Charlie's friend Brian, her husband, he'd wanted to look out for her. He also purposefully let slip that he and Olivia had attended high school classes together and had been longtime friends. Charlie also arranged for one of Don's old high school friends to leak that Don and Olivia had been 'halfway down the aisle at eighteen' so that their relationship was made public knowledge as well. The Bureau contributed a quiet press release thanking Don for his efforts in the case and announcing they'd given him a month's paid vacation courtesy of the Attorney General himself. The press release ended with a brief sentence saying his time off from work had already begun. This, with the newspaper piece, and a few well placed rumors around the hospital, would hopefully explain why a federal agent was spending all his time with a recent crime witness.

A second press release by Cal Sci touted the video enhancement program that Charlie and Amita had been working on and announced a federal grant had been given to Charlie who would take a brief leave of absence from teaching to complete the work on the program as quickly as possible for law enforcement use. In truth, Charlie and Amita had completed the program, without a grant, days earlier but this provided a cover story for Charlie so he could work full time on the case. He and Amita were working on equations to help locate the twelfth man and Charlie was also a part of the surveillance operation covering Olivia's room. He and Don were bugged 24/7 and carried tracking devices just in case they became targets. Charlie had tried to convince Amita not to leave her apartment without an escort and was only calmed when the Secret Service agreed to place an undercover agent in her home posing as a friend crashing on a visit. Thankfully, they assigned an agent who was a math major in college so the three ended up working well together, making the cover story look perfect.

Charlie still came and read to Olivia as he did before only now his movements to and from her room were monitored on closed circuit TV. Don, used to being involved in surveillance, almost didn't notice the difference but it took Charlie a while to learn to act natural instead of suspicious.

As part of the plan, Don had suggested the hospital prepare two press releases and only release them on the Secret Service's approval. One mentioned that Olivia had woken up and was improving daily. The other said that she had taken a turn for the worse and might not recover so she was going to be transported to a hospice care facility. Both were false and designed purely to evoke a response from the outstanding kidnapper. Don hoped, once they had gotten any information from Olivia, that the first press release might prompt the suspect into trying to silence Olivia permanently. If that didn't work, he might try to attack her when she was transported. He hated using her as bait but with Kim and the Secret Service in charge of the investigation, all he could hope to do was dictate some of the terms, especially since his family was so heavily involved.

Kim had come through for him in one way, however. Ever aware of his commitment to family, she arranged for Alan to go on a 10-day cruise to the Caribbean. Don had to laugh when he learned the cruise was for law enforcement officers and their families. If there was anywhere Alan would be safe it would be on a boat in the middle of the ocean with several hundred cops. Alan was loathe to go with his sons in potential danger but listened to reason, knowing they all had parts to play in this charade and his was to be conveniently out of the way so Don and Charlie could focus on the case without having to worry about him.

At that moment though, Don was concerned about Olivia being overtaxed by the Secret Service agent working on a laptop to create a composite image of the man she had seen but no one else had. The agent was growing impatient at his inability to correctly gauge what changes Olivia wanted him to make. No matter what he did it seemed like it wasn't right to her and she was tiring rapidly.

"Here, let me try for a while," Don offered when he sensed Olivia could take no more of the agent's pressure.

"But I'm trained in the FACES system!" the agent protested loudly.

"What, you think the FBI doesn't use FACES? Come on, we use it all the time. Go take a break."

The agent got up and huffed out, almost forgetting to get back into character - the spouse of the fake patient in the bed next to Olivia's - before leaving the room.

Don sat down in the chair vacated by the agent and took Olivia's hand. She seemed grateful for the rescue, nodding her thanks to him. Don held her hand up to his lips and pressed a small kiss against it. "How are you holding up? I know this is hard."

Her expression was one of weariness and resolve. Don understood it perfectly.

"Yeah, I know. I hope it will all be over soon as well but we have to do this."

He closed the cover on the laptop and pushed it away. "Let's see if we can't get this over with in an easier fashion. I'm going to ask you some questions and you can nod or shake your head to answer them. Okay?"

Olivia nodded.

"Good. So, does this man look anything like someone you've met before?"

Nod.

"Someone currently in your life?"

Olivia shook her head.

"Someone from your past?"

Nod.

"From your school days?"

Nod.

"In England?"

Shake.

"High School?"

Nod.

Don was excited by this. "Is it someone I know?"

Nod. This was good news. If the person looked like someone Don recognized he could handle part of the work for her.

"A student?"

Shake.

"A teacher?"

Shake.

"A parent?"

Shake.

"Someone from school but not a student, teacher or parent?"

Nod.

"An employee at the school?"

Nod.

"Ok, I'm going to list off a number of jobs and you squeeze my hand when I mention the job this person held. Okay?"

Olivia nodded in comprehension.

"Janitor, nurse, principal, assistant principal, school board member, sports coach, trainer, secretary, career center staff, guidance counselor..." Don felt a firm squeeze on the last word.

"Guidance Counselor?"

Shake.

"Some other kind of counselor?"

Nod.

Don wracked his brains for a moment then it hit him. He finally understood why she hadn't simply written the name for him earlier. Even Don couldn't remember how to spell the man's name.

"Dr. Van der whatever his name was, the school psychologist?"

Olivia nodded vigorously and even made the effort to lift her finger and put in on her nose.

"O, you're so good I could kiss you!" Don quickly flipped open his cell phone as Olivia smiled at him. "Charlie, are you at the house? Good! Drop whatever you are doing and go find one of our high school yearbooks. No, it doesn't matter which one or whose it is. I need you to scan the photo of the school shrink, that Dr. Van der something long no one could ever spell or pronounce. Yeah, Dr. Dutch, that's what we called him." Olivia nodded again when she heard the nickname she'd forgotten. "Scan it and email it to me ASAP. Call me back when the email's sent."

Don hung up the phone and turned back to Olivia. "You rest for a while. I'll get started on the composite based on my own memory of Dr. Dutch and when Charlie sends the image then I'll update it to look as close to him as I can. Once that's done all you have to concentrate on is how your guy differs from the what I have in the system already."

Olivia nodded and patted Don on the arm before closing her eyes for a much needed rest.


	11. Chapter 10

O2 11/18

* * *

Chapter Ten:

"Soon after Carlyle died I went to Ecclefechan and stood by his grave. It was not a day that I would have chosen for such an errand, for it was cold, grey, and hard, and towards the afternoon it rained a slow, persistent, wintry rain. The kirkyard in Ecclefechan was dismal and depressing, but my thoughts were not there. I remembered what Carlyle was to the young men of thirty or forty years ago, in the days of that new birth, which was so strange a characteristic of the time. His books were read with excitement, with tears of joy, on lonely hills, by the seashore and in London streets, and the readers were thankful that it was their privilege to live when he also was alive. All that excitement has vanished, but those who knew what it was are the better for it."

Don slipped a little in his chair and woke before he slid too far. He'd fallen asleep listening to Charlie read from an unlikely named book, "Pages from a Journal with Other Papers." It sounded right up Charlie and Olivia's alley, which explained why she was listening with rapt attention, and Don had fallen asleep.

Several days had elapsed since Olivia had passed on all that she knew about the missing suspect. The man had been standing just inside the parking garage hidden from the scope of the video cameras but according to Olivia very much composed and in control as the shots were being fired, as if he had expected them. The man had been on the phone and had continued to talk calmly during the gunfire until he got into his car and drove away from the exit that the DAG had used. The license plate was the last thing she had seen prior to being shot and she had admitted that Charlie was right about her mixing up the number 1 with the letter I when she was tapping out the sequence.

The composite drawing had been completed and the resulting sketch had been widely distributed to law enforcement across the world hoping for an ID. The resulting composite looked slightly more German than Dr. Dutch was but Olivia swore it was nearly perfect.

The first press release had gone out that morning and Olivia's security had been upped drastically leaving Don with little to do other than wait.

"Look alive people, we have a hit." Kim's voice came through the hidden ear pieces loud and clear and Charlie jumped at the sound.

"Very covert, Charlie," Don joshed. "Relax and act natural. We've got this covered."

"We have a male at the main admissions desk asking for Mrs. Brecht's room number. He does not, repeat, does not match the description of our suspect. Caucasian, mid to late 50s, balding, approximately 5' 9'' and two hundred pounds. Target is wearing jeans, black work boots and a yellow t-shirt with a logo on it. He is carrying a large vase of flowers."

"What, can't he just be a floral delivery guy?" Charlie asked.

"It's possible," Don answered. "But we take every person seriously. You have no idea how many people gain entry to places they're not supposed to be just by pretending to be service personnel."

"He's in the elevator. Places everyone!" Kim's voice cut through the chatter and everyone in the room raced to get into position except for Charlie who was already sitting.

"Read!" Don urged Charlie as he moved his chair next to Olivia's bedside on the opposite side from Charlie so he would be between them and the door in case something happened.

"Target is on the floor. Radio silence in 3-2-1..."

Charlie began to read again in what he hoped was a normal voice.

"At first the hills were almost black, but, as the dawn ascended, they became dark green, of a peculiarly delicate tint which is never seen in the daytime. The quietude is profound, although a voice from an unseen fishing-boat can now and then be heard. How strange the landscape seems!"

There was a knock on the door and Don said "hello?" from his chair, not rising.

A man's head popped in. "Is this Mrs. Brecht's room? I have some flowers here for her."

"Yeah, this is the right room. You can put them over there." The man entered carrying a large bouquet in a glass vase and placed the flowers on a nearby table.

Charlie began reading again in an effort to appear calm.

"The east grows lighter; the birds begin to stir in the bushes, and the cry of a gull rises from the base of the cliff. The sea becomes responsive, and in a moment is overspread with continually changing colour, partly that of the heavens above it and partly self-contributed."

"Um... Excuse me?"

"Yes?" Don replied even though the question had been directed at Olivia.

"I just wanted to say that the flowers are from the IBEW. We were all big fans of her late husband's work in our field and just wanted to take this opportunity to send our well wishes for a speedy recovery."

Charlie coughed very loudly and lowered his book.

"That's very kind of you," Don answered for Olivia as she tried to look teary eyed at the mention of her late husband rather than respond.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you ma'am," the older man said, stepping closer to her bed.

Don rose and before he could move Charlie stopped him by handing him the book.

"Don, I need to take a break, go get a drink or something. You said you wanted to read next so here's the book, okay?"

Don looked at Charlie. He'd said no such thing and Charlie knew this book had put him to sleep on more than one occasion. A look passed between the brothers unseen by anyone else in the room. Don trusted his brother and nodded, taking the book from him.

"Great, you've been hogging the book all morning," Don lied to let Charlie know he understood his sudden need to leave.

Having handed Don the book, Charlie left the room, excusing himself to the stranger.

"I'm sorry, that was rude of him to interrupt us, Mr.?" Don addressed the man with as kindly a face as he could manage.

"Johnson. Artie Johnson." The man nodded rather than offer his hand and Don didn't press the issue. He was sure Kim was all ready to pull prints off the vase and might even have the prints off the elevator already.

"Mr. Johnson. So you're with which local chapter of the brotherhood?"

"Me? Oh, I'm retired. That's why they hit me up to play messenger. Nothing to do all day, you know!"

Don heard a small blip in his earpiece meaning Kim needed to break radio silence.

"I hear that," Don said to the stranger, also intending it as a message to Kim. "Say would you mind turning on the TV behind you? The remote doesn't work."

"Sure, no problem!" As the man turned to figure out how to turn on the set Don briefly covered his ear to hear what Kim had to say.

"He's not IBEW! Charlie's sure!"

Don removed his hand just before the man turned around.

"Thanks," he said then frowned. The TV was showing a replay of the DAG's abduction with commentary over it. Olivia burst into tears as Don looked pissed.

"God damn TV won't stop showing that!" He rushed over and turned the TV off with a slam.

"Listen, I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson was it? Please let them know that we thank them." Don stressed the 'we' as he rushed to put his arms around Olivia. He kissed her temple and held her close to his chest. "It's okay, honey. It's off now." Olivia pretended to whisper in his ear. "No, sweetie, don't say that. They'll catch the guy, they'll find him."

Don looked up as if he was surprised that the man was still standing there. "I'm sorry but she's very upset. Could you excuse us?"

"Oh, right, right, sorry... Again, get well soon..." the man stammered and rushed out of the room.

Don's earpiece beeped again and three seconds later Kim was back online.

"He's in the elevator. Agent is entering elevator. Agent has attached tracking device to target. Tracking device activated. Target is leaving the building... Target has left the building. Surveillance Team Beta, you are go!

A few seconds later Kim and Charlie came into the room together.

"So, what's all this about the IBEW guy?"

"It's not a well known fact in the world at large but most everyone in the industry would know that the IBEW once sued Brecht and his company for several million dollars. They lost the battle in court and had to pay for Brecht's legal fees, which were substantial. So trust me when I say there's no love lost between them and there's no way anyone from the IBEW would be bringing his widow flowers unless it was to his funeral."

"Good job on the setup," Kim nodded to Don. "Worked like a dream."

It had been Don's idea to secretly load the TV with footage of the incident so that they could have Olivia cry and pretend to talk to Don. The goal had been to let the messenger confirm that Olivia could talk even if she couldn't actually do so. Charlie had suggested playing up his protective nature so it made more sense for him to speak for her. Kim jumped on this and told the two of them to act like they were a couple to reinforce the notion that Don was not there in an FBI capacity.

"Good job with the book." Don nodded to Charlie. "I knew you had something."

Charlie smiled. "O, how are you holding up?" he asked.

Olivia looked tired but nodded.

"Okay, back in position people. We could be up for a second visit by our real target any time now." Kim left the room carrying the glass vase with gloved hands so it could be dusted for fingerprints.

Charlie took up his place by Olivia's bed again.

Don took a moment to sit on the bed next to Olivia. "O, you don't have to stay awake for all of this. I know you're tired. Why don't you sleep for a while and we'll wake you if we sight a new target? That sound okay to you?" Olivia glanced over at Charlie who pointedly closed his book, signaling his agreement. She turned back to Don, nodded and closed her eyes as he pulled the covers over her.


	12. Chapter 11

O2 12/18

* * *

Chapter Eleven:

The surveillance team tasked with following the fake IBEW rep had done their job perfectly. The man had lead them to a nearby deserted industrial park and had parked his car out in the open where they could easily watch him and set up long range listening equipment and sharpshooters.

They didn't have to wait long. A black sedan pulled up in front of the man and its window rolled down, revealing the German they'd been looking for.

"This is Beta Team Leader. Seal off all roads. Primary target is sighted, repeat, primary target is sighted. Vehicle is a 2004 Black Lincoln Town Car, License Plate: Six Alpha Gamma Gamma Three Seven One. Get ready to move in on my mark."

The listening devices picked up the brief one-sided conversation.

"I got into see her like you asked. She can talk all right. She's been talkin' to her FBI boyfriend. The Feds know there's one more guy and they're out looking for you. I helped you get away the first time but I'm gonna need more money for getting involved in this. That Fed might recognize me if he sees me again and I want to get out of town for good."

The man stood waiting for the German to speak. Instead, the microphones picked up the quiet sounds of a silencer firing. The older man dropped without a sound as the black sedan's window rolled up and the car took off.

"Execute! Execute!" Beta Team Leader gave the order and the area swarmed with cars and armed agents in a matter of seconds. The black sedan's engine roared and the car swerved into a nearby warehouse whose garage style door was open. It immediately slammed closed before the agents could get through it.

The team surrounded the building and carefully entered. The warehouse was dark and filled with boxes. The car door was open and there was no one inside. After several sweeps, they discovered they could not locate the man anywhere in the building.

After bringing in high-powered lights, they discovered a trap door into the sewer system hidden under one of the boxes but by then the target was long gone and his accomplice was dead.


	13. Chapter 12

O2 13/18

* * *

Chapter Twelve:

Kim brought the news to Don as soon as the Beta team found the entrance to the sewer system.

"He got away?" Don was furious but managed to avoid raising his voice since he didn't want to wake Olivia. He took Kim by the arm and led her back to the control room three doors down so they could talk.

"We just got the prints back on the accomplice. Turns out he's a city sanitation worker. It sounds like he helped engineer the assault team's escape through the sewer system. That's why we couldn't find the DAG right after the kidnapping. We were assuming they stayed above ground. Those tunnels are too complex to navigate without a map..."

"But the sanitation worker could easily be bribed to get them a copy of the map and advise them on a best route to get out quickly." Don shook his head. "This guy is dangerous. He's smart, slippery, and worst of all prepared. We need to move Olivia."

"Agreed." Kim pulled out her phone. "I'm calling the transport team in. Let her doctors know she needs to be ready for transport in a half hour."

Don called the emergency pager number for the doctor in charge of Olivia's care. When he rang back, Don let him know about the situation and was given the names of the personnel authorized to handle the move. No one would be allowed into Olivia's room unless they had been pre-approved as part of her transport care team.

Back in the room, Don told one of the agents to take Charlie home and guard him until further notice.

"What's going on, Don?" Charlie was concerned both for Olivia and his brother. "They think since he got away he's coming after O?"

"We just don't want to take any chances, buddy. We're moving her to somewhere he can't find her. We'll put a dummy in her bed and have a team of agents here watching it. Hopefully we'll still catch him in the act. I just can't be worrying about you as well. This guy's smart. If there's any chance..."

"But Don, O..."

"Charlie, you can't protect her but you can get in the way. She'll have armed agents all around her before, during and after."

"But..."

"And she'll have me." Don laid his hand on his little brother's shoulder, kindly. "I care about her too, buddy. Trust me. I won't let anything happen to her."

Charlie nodded and turned back to look at Olivia.

"I have to wake her up now to get her ready for transport. If you want to..." Don almost said 'say goodbye' but realized how final that sounded.

"Yeah," Charlie said.

The two men approached her bedside and Don shook Olivia gently, whispering in her ear. "O... Time to wake up now. O2! Calling Miss Oxygen!" Charlie smiled; he had forgotten Don's other pet names for Olivia. Oxygen and O2 always came up. Having studied Chemistry with Olivia, Charlie liked the moniker O2 but Don made it known that after losing control of the nickname O he was keeping anything oxygen related for his own private use.

Olivia smiled at the old terms of endearment. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked happy to see both men until she read their expressions. Don's furrowed brow and Charlie's sad and frightened attempts at a smile spoke volumes.

She shook her head, hoping she was wrong about it.

"I'm sorry, O. They had him surrounded but he got away through the sewer system. The guy who was here earlier was his accomplice; a city worker who must have given him detailed maps of the tunnels."

Olivia bit her lip and tried to stay calm.

"We're not going to take any chances, O. The doctors are on their way right now to prep you for transport. We're going to move you somewhere safe where this guy can't find you and we'll monitor this room. When he comes for you and you're not here we'll nab him then, okay?" Don tried to sound confident, hoping to allay her fears.

As the doctors filed in, Don checked their hospital IDs against his list of approved medical personnel. The staff was swift and efficient, switching Olivia's IV and monitoring equipment to smaller portable versions and removing any non-critical systems.

Charlie and Olivia shared an emotional goodbye then Don and Charlie embraced briefly as well.

"Be careful," Charlie whispered in his brother's ear.

"Always, buddy," Don replied, giving him a tight squeeze.

Finally, all that was left was to wait for the transport team to arrive.


	14. Chapter 13

O2 14/18

* * *

Chapter Thirteen:

Since all need for pretext had passed, Don suited up in full FBI gear including Kevlar vest and semi-automatic weapons.

He checked the Kevlar vest on Olivia three times and when he reached for it a fourth time she tried to slap his hand away in protest.

"Fourth time's the charm!" he said with a smile, tightening the straps a little more.

The transport team was finally in place and the path through the hospital had been cleared. A decoy gurney had already made its way down to the waiting armored ambulance and it had not been accosted at all.

"You ready?" Don looked down at Olivia and she grabbed his hand, pulling him down to her. When he crouched down, she put her hand on his cheek and pulled his face close to hers so she could kiss his other cheek. As her lips left his skin, Don turned towards her and their breath mingled as his mouth hovered over hers. The desire that suddenly erupted in them was palpable yet Don kept himself in check enough to return her kiss on the cheek and whisper in her ear. "Soon..."

Don stood, kissed her hand one last time and laid it on the gurney.

Kim's voice came in loud and clear though his earpiece. "Alpha Transport Team, you are go!"

Don raised his weapon and the group of agents slowly began to make their way through the hospital to the exit.

"Hallway - Clear!"

"Elevator - Clear!"

"Primary exit - Clear!"

As they made their way to the waiting convoy of vehicles, they met with no resistance.

Olivia was loaded into the ambulance with Don and the doors were shut behind them.

After one last check, the convoy started moving out into the city.


	15. Chapter 14

O2 15/18

* * *

Chapter Fourteen:

The joint Secret Service and FBI transport team had prepared for almost every imaginable scenario including a dozen armed men in a raid similar to the one that had been used in the original abduction.

They weren't prepared to take on two dozen.

Explosives took out the two lead cars' tires and machine gun fire strafed the follow up vehicles. In a matter of seconds, every vehicle except for the ambulance was disabled.

The agent driving the ambulance tried evasive maneuvers but ended up crashing into a utility pole when forced off the road by the assault team vehicles.

Inside, Don had been knocked to the floor by the crash but was unhurt. He could hear rapid exchanges of gunfire and prayed his side was getting the upper hand. Suddenly there was silence outside and someone opened up one of the rear doors of the ambulance. The gun inserted into the opening began to fire before Don could react and he quickly rolled to the side away from the gurney, pressing himself up against the underside of the empty gurney on the other side of the ambulance. He threw his hands over his head to protect it and almost immediately felt two bullets slam into his back.

Suddenly a single louder shot rang out in the distance and the assailant's gun clattered to the ground.

Don looked up to find Kim running towards the ambulance, gun still in hand, to make sure the German was down for good.

Kim looked at the blankets on the gurney, now a smoldering mass of bullet holes and looked back at Don.

Wincing from the pain in his back, Don rolled away from the empty gurney to reveal Olivia hiding underneath.

Kim just nodded. If there was anyone worth trusting with your life it was Don. He never failed.

Kim pulled Olivia out from under the gurney as a flood of backup agents swarmed the area. As Kim helped Olivia lie back down on the untouched gurney Olivia noticed the back of Don's vest. She gasped and Kim turned to look as well.

"You're hit!"

"It's okay," Don said, trying to get his vest off without too much pain. "They didn't penetrate. Thank god these guys don't use cop killer bullets."

"Here..." Kim left Olivia and carefully removed Don's vest for him. Being that close to him again brought up memories in Kim but it was painfully obvious to her where his attentions lay.

As soon as Kim released him from his vest Don crouched beside Olivia.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips, leaving it there rather than merely kissing it.

Olivia nodded, her expression of fear melting into one of gratitude and relief.

An agent had discreetly removed the body of the German suspect and quietly handed Kim a single Polaroid.

"Olivia, I know this has been very hard for you but we have to know if this is over. We have to know if this is the man you saw in the parking garage that day. Are you up for this?"

Don started to protest but Olivia held out her hand for the photo.

After one glance, brave as she thought she was, she dissolved into tears on Don's shoulder. She managed to nod for Kim's benefit and Don took the photo from her, tossing it back to Kim before wrapping his arms around Olivia.

"Shh... O. It's all over now. I'm here, I'm here..."

Kim silently backed out of the ambulance and closed the doors on them to give them the privacy they deserved, ignoring the ache in her heart at seeing the man she'd once agreed to marry so obviously in love with another woman.


	16. Chapter 15

O2 16/18

* * *

Chapter Fifteen:

The days following the attempt on Olivia's life were a blur of activity for Don. Although the German had been shot and killed by Kim during the raid, there was a great deal of work to be done dismantling his operation. Don wanted to be certain that there was no one left in his organization who might want to come after Olivia for revenge.

Between the Secret Service, FBI, LAPD and Interpol the entire crime ring was identified and the necessary arrests were made.

Olivia had been moved to another hospital just in case and was under guard as a precaution. Don was too tied up in the follow up work to go visit her but Charlie did and reported back to him that she was improving even though it seemed the facility for speech still eluded her.

When the last arrests were made and Kim called an end to the investigation, Don asked for a couple of days off. He'd barely slept in the last few weeks and was dead on his feet. He went home and slept for over twelve hours before he felt somewhat rested.

Don intended to go see Olivia but when he called Charlie to see if he was planning on going to visit, he informed Don that she'd been released that morning.

Don hung up the phone and felt a little lost. He'd gotten so used to the idea of Olivia being there recently that he found the idea of not knowing where she was disorienting.

Don puttered around his apartment the whole day, doing laundry and dishes, cleaning just to pass the time.

When it came time for dinner, Don couldn't decide what to do. After eating at the office for most of the last week, he couldn't look at another piece of pizza for a while.

When he heard the knock on his door, he was sure it was Charlie, come to rescue him.

He threw open the door and his jaw dropped.

Olivia was standing on his doorstep.

"O!" Don found his voice finally. "What? I mean... Should you be out of bed?"

Olivia merely smiled and showed him what she was holding. A picnic basket. She nodded her head towards the apartment as if to ask for an invitation.

"Yeah, yeah, come in. I'm sorry. I'm just surprised to see you is all. Here, let me take that." Don grabbed the basket and ushered her inside.

Olivia walked around the apartment looking at everything. She picked up a few books and glanced through them, stopped in front of each picture on the walls and finally nodded to Don as if to imply she approved.

Don put the picnic basket on the coffee table and went to Olivia.

Now that they were alone outside of the hospital Don felt a little uncertain as to how to proceed. He didn't want to assume anything but knew they had both felt something earlier, something he didn't want to ignore.

Olivia apparently felt no such hesitation. As Don approached her she went to him with open arms, wrapping him up in an embrace so warm he sank into it, melting at her touch.

After a moment, she pulled back and pantomimed eating then pointed at Don.

"Yeah, I'm starving. What did you bring?"

Olivia opened the basket and pulled out a large insulated container that steamed when she removed the lid. She waved the container under Don's nose so he could smell it.

"Tamales!" Don exclaimed. "From Mama Gonzales?"

Olivia nodded vigorously.

"Oh, man, O. Your mom makes the best tamales! This is great!"

Olivia set up the tamales, rice, and beans on the coffee table and Don brought drinks and plates in from the kitchen.

They sat on the couch and ate in a companionable silence, Don not wanting to put any pressure on Olivia to try to communicate. Just when Don was almost done, Olivia pulled out a container of homemade flan and Don groaned, delighted. "Your mom must be really happy if she made tamales and flan!"

Olivia just smiled and they shared the dessert right out of the container, taking turns feeding each other with a single spoon. As the dessert disappeared, their actions became more playful. When Olivia pretended to offer Don a spoonful then pulled it back at the last second to eat it herself, Don grabbed the spoon from her mouth and licked the last bit off.

Their faces were close to each other and Don could taste her breath in the air in front of him. He leaned in and as he approached, that familiar desire welled up in both of them again. He captured her lips in a soft kiss. She tasted sweet; caramel sugar and memories all rolled into one. Her mouth opened to receive him and the kiss deepened as Don pulled her into his arms.

Don buried his hands in Olivia's soft hair and his face in her neck. He whispered, " I need... Oxygen... O2..."

Olivia smiled with delight at hearing her old pet names and embraced him tightly. Don winced just slightly and Olivia pulled back, realizing too late why Don's back might be hurting him.

She made him turn around and pulled up the back of his shirt. Her fingers traced over the two dark bruises where the bullets had impacted his Kevlar vest. While the vest kept the bullets from penetrating his skin, the force of the impact was still enough to be painful even days later. Olivia placed two gentle kisses on his back, one over each bruise. Don shivered at the sensation then turned back around and pulled her into his arms again.

When he looked down into her eyes he found them glistening with unshed tears.

"O? Come on, it's okay. They're only bruises. I'm fine."

She shook her head in disagreement. Frustrated at her inability to speak, she looked for something to write with and finding nothing nearby she settled for spelling the letters she needed to get out by drawing them on Don's chest.

"A-L-M-O-S-T L-O-S-T Y-O-U" Don read each letter then put them together. "No, O, you didn't lose me. I'm fine. We got though it just fine." He pulled her close to him and rocked her gently. "I almost lost you twice. When I first saw you in that hospital bed after the surgery..." Don got choked up and had to stop for a moment. "I was so sure that the O I knew was gone forever, that you'd never wake up and that I'd found you only to lose you again before you even saw me."

Olivia was no longer able to hold back her tears and she cried noiselessly into Don's chest.

"But you came back to me. You came back and I kept you safe so now there's nothing in the way anymore."

Olivia pulled back and sadly pointed to her throat.

Don grinned at her. "I don't seem to remember us doing that much talking in the bedroom before."

Olivia smiled back at him and gave him another heart stopping kiss.

Don pulled back after a minute to catch his breath and started walking towards his bedroom, pulling Olivia along by the hand. "Come on, we have some tamales to work off..." he grinned.


	17. Chapter 16

O2 17/18

* * *

Chapter Sixteen:

When Don awoke, he was alone.

Olivia and the picnic basket were gone.

All that was left was a note in her now stronger handwriting.

"Mi Corazon,

You have not lost me. I have lost myself.

The O you knew really is gone and I want her back.

There is a medical facility in London that specializes in assisting in the recovery of brain injury victims. They do great work there and I hope they will be able to help me learn to communicate again even if I never do regain the power of speech.

I don't know if you knew but I have a daughter, Bella. Brian's one true gift to me. She's old enough to remember losing her father and seeing me in the hospital was very hard on her. I think going away to live in England for a while will be good for her as well.

I cannot ask you to come and I cannot ask you to wait for me.

Just know that last night was very special to me and I will remember it for always.

Perhaps the O you knew will traipse back into your life again someday. I can only hope.

But for now, Don, please live. Live strong. Live safe. And live happy.

I love you,

O"

"Love you too, O," Don whispered.


	18. Epilogue

O2 18/18

* * *

Epilogue:

Charlie tossed the newspaper article on the sofa next to Don as he watched the ball game.

"Did you see? BCL is for sale. Olivia's selling Brian's company."

Don didn't look up. "Really?" he said, not surprised at all.

"Yeah, the article says she's moving to England with her daughter."

"Yeah," Don replied, not wanting to talk to Charlie about the last time he saw her.

"Don," Charlie began nervously. "There's something I want to tell you. I don't want there to be secrets between us, especially about Olivia."

Don perked up at this. "What sort of secrets about Olivia?"

"Well, it's just that..." Charlie looked nervous and didn't continue.

"Charlie, whatever it is, spit it out."

"Okay, okay," Charlie protested. "It's just that when we were in High School, I... I kissed Olivia before you did. There, I've confessed."

Don couldn't decide whether he was amused or annoyed. "You kissed Olivia before me? What were you like eight?"

"Okay, so I was a lot younger than her but I had a crush on her long before you even noticed she was alive," Charlie defended himself. "We were in AP Chem together and we used to study together in the library. One day... well I'm not even sure how it came to pass but she ended up kissing me."

Don smiled. That was so like O, to be that sweet to little Charlie. He put two and two together. "So that's why you always liked Olivia so much. Not just because she was smart like you but she was your first kiss, am I right?"

Charlie nodded.

"Don... There's more. The morning she left the hospital, she wrote me a note."

Charlie pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and showed it to him.

"I still wonder, after all these years... One more? Just to see?"

Don read the note and didn't look back up at Charlie. "So you kissed her this time."

"Yeah," Charlie admitted, taking the paper back from Don and staring at it again. "And it was every bit as incredible as I thought it would be. But unfortunately some things haven't changed." Charlie stuffed the paper back into his pocket with a sigh. "She's still your O. Not mine."

"My O," Don echoed, letting a wistful tone seep into his voice.

He'd lost her twice now to the U.K. but this time he wasn't going to dwell on it.

Olivia had told him to live and that's what he was going to do.

That and save up his frequent flyer miles. He wasn't going to make the same mistake as last time and let her disappear again.

"My O2," Don smiled.

After all, a man needed oxygen to survive.


End file.
